Girth-fastener



(No Model.)

H. M. TILESTON.

, GIRTH FASTENER. No. 485,481.

Patented Nov. 1, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, HENRY MERRILL TlLESTON, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

GlRTH-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,481, dated November1, 1892.

Application filed January 4, 1892. $erial No. 417,040. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY MERRILL TILES- TON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStrap-Fastenings, as set forth in the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a girth, cinch, orband having my improved fastener at both ends. Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the fastener. Fig. 3 shows the application of my invention to ariding-saddle and showing the free end of an attaching-strap attachableto the saddle with in easy reach of the riders hand.

Myinvention relates to means for securing girths, bands, or cinches oranalogous strap devices; and it consists of theimproved strapfastenerhereinafter described and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains tomake and use the same, I will now describe its construction and indicatethe manner in which the same is carried out.

Heretofore many girths, cinches, or straps have been secured by means ofbuckles having a movable tongue, or by rings and straps, or by knots, ora series of interlacing of straps; but in most of these cases itrequired the unbuckling, untying, or unlacing of the securing devices toretighten or adjust the girths, cinches, or straps, and in the event ofsaddleanimals the dismounting of the rider to adjust the device.

In my invention I dispense with the objec= tionable constructions justmentioned and provide 'a means whereby a girth, cinch, or strap may bereadily secured, tightened, or adjusted, either while in the saddle ordismounted, and so arrange the parts of the device that the subsequentlocking and securing are automatic.

Referring now to the drawings for a more complete explanation of myinvention, A rep resents a girth, cinch, or strap, to one or both endsof which my fastening devices are secured, preferably by the metal orleather or other flexible loops B, as shown.

The fastener proper consists, preferably, of two plates, rings, or loops0 0', one of which slides upon or within the other, a suitable guide orkeeper furnishing the means by which one of the plates, rings, or loopsmay move upon the other. These plates, rings, or loops may be ofrectangular form, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, or may be rings, theoperation and results produced in all cases be ing the same.

The plate, ring, or loop 0 has but little movement in the end of thebight of the loop B, while the other plate, ring, or loop is adapted toslide back and forth on the other plate, ring, or loop with one endslidable in the loop B, or unconfined, if desired, and the other endadapted to have the bight of the securingstrap D passed around it, asshown particularly in Fig. 2. In order that the two plates, rings, orloops may be held in slidable contact, I employ a keeper E, which mayconsist of a transverse leather or metal bar secured to the girth,cinch, or band and having bearings at a to enable the plates, rings, orloops to slide longitudinally within the bearing or guide thus formed.

The attaching-strap D may represent any strap. In Fig. 3 I illustratethis strap as having one end secured to a riding-saddle and with itsfree end passed under the cross-bars of the plates, rings, or loops attheir free ends and thence carried around the said cross-bar of theplate, ring, or loop C and under the cross-bar of the plate, ring, orloop 0, and finally attached to the saddle within easy reach of theriders hand, whereby it may be readily operated to tighten, loosen, oradjust the girth, cinch, or band without difficulty and without therider dismounting.

It will be understood that when it is desired to adjust or tighten thegirth, cinch, or band the free end of the strap D- is pulled upon, whichmovement causes the plate, ring, or loop 0 to be drawn in the directionof the pull until it cramps or binds the bight end of the strap Dtightly between the cross-bars of the two plates, rings, or loops and tobe maintained in this locked position until readjusted or loosened. Whenso locked, the greater the strain upon the girth, cinch, or band thegreater will be the cramping action at the bight end of thesecuring-strap D.

The plates, rings, or loops may be composed of any desired metal ormaterial and they may be of the same length, or one may be shorter thanthe other, without affecting their successful operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a girth, cinch, or band having the loops B, ofa fastening consisting of two plates, rings, or loops,a keeper passedtransversely across the plates, rings or loops for connecting them withthe girth and providing for their free longitudinal sliding movement oneon the other, and a securing strap or connection adapted to have itsbight passed around the free ends of the plates,

HENRY MERRILL TILESTON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. G. UPTON, MARY WATTs.

